Strangers
by Perthy25
Summary: The people of District 12 have never been happier. Their tributes have finally won the Hunger games, and the additional food packages are helping them from starvation. But when a stranger appears, all goes to hell as revolts suddenly break out against the Capitol and their Peacekeepers.
1. Prologue

The man stood out among the District 12 residents. He was wearing a tailored suit, which was unheard of even for the mayor. Eyes turned as he walked towards the guards in front of the Victor's Village.

But after a minute, people didn't seem to bother. Work was work, and a man in expensive clothes wouldn't distract them from it.

But all heads swung around at the sound of shots and cries of dying men.

* * *

Vladimir Makarov was a man you wouldn't want to displease. He looked contemplatively at the man on his knees, begging at his feet.

"Please, Makarov! Don't kill me! I won't disappoint you again."

A silenced gunshot rang out in the room. The man slumped down and fell to the floor. With his gloved hand, he bent down and picked up the bullet casing.

Makarov always knew how to keep the government agencies off his back. In all his operations, he would use untraceable bullets. Of course, there were times, such as the Zakhaev Airport massacre when the situation didn't require it.

He walked out into the frosty night air of Moscow in the winter. There was a van waiting for him outside with its doors open. He climbed into the back as it drove away into the frigid night.


	2. The Beginning of a New Chapter

Back at Makarov's safehouse on the outskirts, he put on the large screen a live conference with Alexi, his second in command at Prague.

"So, what does our client want?"

"He's a crazy bastard. He's looking for parts to build his time machine."

"It gets us paid." Makarov reminded him.

"Right. Yes sir. Should I get them right away, sir?"

"Good. You do that. Give me a call once he finishes it. I want to see that machine. It's probably a failure but if it actually works, it might be the key to our victory."

"_Da,_ Makarov. Will do. Alexi out."

_2 Months later_

Makarov woke early today. He looked outside, but saw that it was still dark and the streets were quiet. There wasn't a soul outside and the streets were silent. The sun rose steadily in the distance, but it would take at least half an hour before it was light.

As he walked back to take a shower, he heard his mobile phone ring.

"Hello?"

"Makarov, sir? It's Alexi here." The man's voice was shaken, as if scared.

"What is it?"

"Well, the scientist who was building a time machine sir. He finally finished it. I thought it was useless at first, but he made an apple disappear!"

"You're not joking?"

"I don't joke, sir. Not around you."

"Alright, I'll be on the next plane there."

Makarov ran to his bathroom. He had a rushed shower and quickly brushed his teeth. _It's real!_ he thought to himself as he ran downstairs to book his flight to Prague.

"Viktor, Anatoly! Get up!" he said as he banged on their doors, "We're going to Prague!"


	3. The Contraption

It was getting dark and Katniss Everdeen had to get home fast. She promised her mother that she would be back by 6 p.m. Now it was 7. At least she managed to hunt a few animals from the forest.

Curse Gale for taking me out here! After the Games, she didn't know what to feel about him. She was genuinely confused if she should just drop her romance with Peeta or continue, just for appearance's sake. They weren't in love, she told him. But were they? She didn't understand how she should feel.

Just then, a burst of light came out from the bushes. A bright blue light that blinded her. After another flash, it was gone. Katniss drew out her knife and went to investigate. Like a curious kitten, she peeked her head out and saw a man in a dark grey suit pick himself up from the ground.

"Who are you? What happened?" she asked.

"My name is Vladimir Makarov. Where are we?"

She looked at the man again. He was holding a rifle in his hands. It was impossible to get a gun around here. Only the Peacekeepers were allowed access to them, and being found in possession of one was certain death.

Makarov asked her again, in a calm but forceful voice.

"Where are we?"

Katniss thought that she should not trust Makarov, but her curiosity got the better of her.

"Panem. 2216 AD."

Makarov swore. The time machine had worked.

* * *

_Earlier that day_

The flight landed at about noon. It took him around another hour to get to his fortress in the woods. After meeting Alexi, he travelled to a country mansion where the scientist lived.

After a long nap, he was woken by one of his men.

"We're here, sir."

Makarov got out into the afternoon sun. He saw the old house and walked towards it with his men. The door was made of solid thick oak. It was probably battered by the rain and the wind. Alexi banged on the door fist his fist. Slowly, it opened. A gasp escaped the men as there was nobody behind it.

"Come on, it's electric." Makarov chuckled as he pointed to the wires connected to the door.

Makarov's men laughed and continued to walk in. Suddenly, a voice boomed overhead.

"Welcome to my house gentlemen. What brings you here today? Anyway, I'm in my lab."

"Where is his lab, Alexi?" Makarov inquired.

"Down in the basement. This way." He gestured towards a flight of stairs.

"Wait here." Makarov told the rest of his team.

He and Alexi went down the stairs and saw a dark room illuminated by a pale yellow light. It smelled of a coffee and alcohol. In the corner stood a strange contraption, with an old obese man working on it.

As soon as they reached the bottom, he turned around.

"Oh, it's you. Anything I can do for you?" He had a thick British accent.

"You said your time machine was finished?"

"Yes, why it is! But it still leaves the question; why does this concern you?"

"Nothing. I was just curious. How is it working?"

"It is working fine, thank you very much. Yesterday, I managed to transport a dog to the past!"

"But how do you know it worked?"

"It was 2 minutes in the past. For a brief period of time, I had 2 dogs! Very peculiar!"

Makarov took a while to take this in.

"Can you try that again?"

"Of course!" He whistled. Seconds later, a dark brown German shepherd ran to him. He pointed towards the machine and the dog obeyed. The scientist pressed up some buttons. At that point, a bright blue light filled the room. Then, a dog, the exact same one, materialized out of thin air.

"Wow."


	4. Farewell to the Old World

Makarov wasn't usually impressed. He looked down on other people and thought that he was intellectually superior to all his men. He was, after all, their leader.

"Time travelling, eh?"

"It works! You see, we are at the dawn of a new era! Mankind has never understood time so well." The scientist told him excitedly.

"How does it work?" Makarov asked, intrigued.

"Well, let me put it this way…"

* * *

Alexi and Makarov were both exhausted. Listening to the ramblings o an insane man for an entire day wasn't easy to bear. Most of it was technical nonsense, but he did catch some interesting parts about changing history and making decisions with extreme consequences. Makarov tried his best to not fall asleep during the monologue.

"And that's how I got back!" the scientist said, finishing off his story of how he travelled into some kind of limbo between time travelling.

"Thank you professor, but we really have to get going." Makarov said.

"Of course! Come again. It has been a pleasure dealing with you." He replied, offering his hand.

"A pleasure. But it is not _us_ who is leaving."

The scientist's eyes widened as a 9mm bullet entered his body. With a shudder, he dropped onto the floor.

"Get rid of the body, Alexi. And get Pavel down here."

"Da, Makarov."

Pavel was their most experienced man with knowledge of science and technology. At 19 years of age, he was their youngest member. Adopted at an early age, his foster parents were killed by crossfire during a gang war between Makarov and a drug dealer. At first, Makarov thought about killing him to spare him the misery, but then changed his mind out of guilt and trained him to be a loyal member of his organization. As the man walked down the stairs with Alexi, Makarov beckoned them over. He briefed Pavel on the mechanics of the machine and gave instructions to Alexi on how his criminal empire was to be run while he was away.

"Good luck, comrade!" Alexi said as Makarov entered the chamber of the time machine. Pavel pressed a few buttons, as then he was gone, leaving just a pale blue light that quickly dissipated after a few seconds.


	5. A New World

Vladimir Makarov opened his eyes into the dim light of the outside. It seemed like early morning, and he could hear birds chirping and a small stream flowing in the distance. It looked like he was deep inside an ancient forest.

He immediately checked his pockets for his belongings. His FN Five-seven was still intact, along with 3 magazines and a silencer. Makarov checked his trusty knife from when he was a served in the elite Spetsnaz, and looked around again, and this time he saw something a small settlement. He began walking towards it at a leisurely pace, enjoying the cool air.

At first, the place seemed to be rather pleasant. But as he drew closer, he could feel the suffocating dust and smog that filled the air like an unseen evil. Although there was hardly nobody about, the people already up looked very unhealthy and covered in thick layers of grime.

Makarov climbed over the fence, which looked like it was in disrepair. Suddenly, a man wearing a white uniform and helmet came up and confronted him.

"You can't just stroll along and jump over the fence! The peacekeepers here are lenient, but I can't just overlook this!" he said, annoyed.

"Oh? Well, I'm new here." Makarov replied.

After getting an exasperated look from the man, he decided to leave before anything else can happen. As he turned to walk away, he felt a blow on his back. Rapid spinning around, he drew his knife from under his tailored suit and thrust it into the man's neck. A look of shock entered his face, his hands raised up to his neck, clasping the gaping wound. He fell to the ground, dead, in a pool of crimson blood.

Luckily, most people were too busy to notice this encounter. Makarov picked up the body with a sigh and threw it back over the fence, where it landed in a bush with a soft thud. He wiped his hands on some leaves and continued on his way.


End file.
